


The Mean Barista I Fell In Love With

by Huntress79



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Awkward Flirting, Background Character Death (mentioned), Bucky Barnes Has PTSD, Bucky Barnes's Metal Arm, Loss of Limbs (mentioned), M/M, Meet-Ugly (at first), Prosthetics, Sam Wilson is a Gift, Therapy, VA Meetings, turning into a Meet-Cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-30
Updated: 2019-10-30
Packaged: 2021-01-12 22:16:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,785
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21233441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Huntress79/pseuds/Huntress79
Summary: Who would have thought that rather mean messages left in scrawly script on his coffee cup would lead the way to Sam Wilson’s happiness?





	The Mean Barista I Fell In Love With

**Author's Note:**

  * For [BiffElderberry](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BiffElderberry/gifts).

> written for Shipoween and biffelderberry. Set in a no powers AU. Hope you like it!

*********************

“Oh, come on, man!”

Usually, Steve Rogers was a good friend and immediately concerned if one of his friends would let out an exclamation like that. But right now, he had to put up a fight NOT to smile right into Sam Wilson’s face. Apparently, a certain barista has struck again.

“What’s up, Wilson?” Clint asked, coming up behind the man in question like out of thin air.

“Nothing,” Sam grumbled, but too late. Before he could prevent it, Natasha grabbed the white Styrofoam cup from his hand and began to read.

_“Sam,….”_

“Hey, you can’t do that!” Sam exclaimed, but the redhead only shook her head at him.

_“Sam, I’ve decided to change up your order just a little bit. You’re man enough to take it?”_ was written across the cup.

“He… he… just can’t do that!” Sam finally huffed out, and by now, all three people around him had to bite their tongue to keep their amusement in check.

“What’s your problem with it, Sam?” Steve finally asked. “First of all, I think it’s sweet that he looks out for you.” Sam opened his mouth, but Steve quickly continued. “And second, there’s nothing wrong with trying different beverages. You’re proving nothing to anyone if you keep drinking it like we did back in the Army.”

And with that, Steve was off to their office half a block way, leaving Sam staring at his back.

*********************

The next day, Sam was in a hurry. Somehow, his usually quickfire brain was on the slow side today, and so, he not only had to wear the same shirt for work for a second day, he also had to get some coffee at the shop near his work – which in turn meant that he was bound to bump into the same mean barista again.

At that exactly irked Sam, immensely so. Cause if you weren’t on the bad side of the universe and you just looked at the guy in question, you only could come up with the conclusion that the man was gorgeous.

Long, dark brown, almost black hair, most of the time neatly bound in either a stylish “man-bun”, a simple short ponytail or sometimes a short braid. Keen, alert eyes in a mesmerizing mix of various blues and greys (according to Nat), and for some customers, a smile that was halfway between harmless flirt and downright seduction. Long story short, seeing the guy (without any interaction) would leave Sam in a gooey mess on a regularly basis.

So why did the same guy always left messages on Sam’s cups that were bordering on downright mean? And apparently, Sam was the only “victim”, even though the same guy did all their orders. But neither Steve nor Clint nor Nat ever found a message on their cups. The closest any of them got was a series of hand-drawn smiley faces on Steve’s orders, but that ended almost as fast as it began.

“Morning, Sam.”

The melodic voice of Wanda Maximoff brought Sam back to the reality, and only then did he realize that he was blocking the entrance to the small coffee shop. Giving the young woman an apologetic smile, he stepped aside.

“Yo, man,” Pietro threw in from the cash register, giving Sam a small wave. “What can I get you?”

“The usual, and two boxes of your donut assortment.”

“One large black with one sugar, coming up!” the young man with the white-blond hair returned before turning around to the backroom. “Bucky, get your lazy ass out here. Like right now!”

Following Wanda to the sweets display, Sam was surprised to see “the mean barista” coming out of the back room. So his name was Bucky. Somewhat fitting. A strange name for a strange guy.

Sam was distracted by Wanda asking for what types of donuts he wanted in the boxes, so he didn’t see the exchange between Bucky and Pietro, before the older man went to prepare Sam’s coffee order.

Only a few minutes later, Sam’s order was complete – well, except for his coffee. As slow as possible, Bucky made his way over to the cash register, ignoring the eyeroll he got from Wanda just for doing that.

“Did you like your coffee yesterday?” Bucky asked before handing over the beverage.

“Not really,” Sam answered. “I don’t like it when people who don’t know me at all try to interfere with my life and my choices.”

“That’s too bad, cause we’re about to expand our menu, and here I thought you would be a good test object.” Bucky gave a shrug. “Well, have a good day, sir, and may you always make the right choice.”

Before Sam even had the chance to come up with a retort, Bucky was back in the small staff room right behind the coffee machine.

“Don’t worry about him,” Wanda threw in, “he’s not such a bad guy, really.”

“Really,” Sam countered while paying for his order, “I’m not, either, and yet, I seem to be his favorite victim, so to speak.”

“If it helps you, I’ll talk to Maria, maybe we can change up the roster and get someone else to work his shift.”

“Naw, it’s not that bad, but…,” Sam trailed off, his eyes flying to the large clock right behind Wanda. “Shoot, I gotta run, or the boss has my ass completely.”

“Tell Clint hi, and we’re having Open Mic on Saturday next week at the bar,” Wanda told him with a smile, that even got broader when Sam, more or less, stumbled out of the coffee shop.

The donuts were spread evenly among his co-workers, and after delivering the last two caramel-filled goodies to Steve, Sam slipped into his office chair with a soft sigh. Crisis averted, job secured, time for a good sip of the beverages of the gods. But… oh no, not again.

_“You know, Sam, a guy always ordering the same boring drink leaves me thinking that he’s boring all over. Care to prove me wrong?”_

With a huff, Sam finished the coffee and tossed the cup with more force than necessary into the waste bin beneath his desk. What on God’s green Earth was this guy thinking? Didn’t Sam give him enough negative signs and that he should back off for Pete’s sake?

*********************

Over the course of the next few days, the messages Sam found on his cup got more and more outrageous, though always in way that wasn’t downright offending and would probably result in a stern talk with Maria Hill, the shop manager.

By the time Friday came around, Sam was, metaphorically speaking, on his toes, wondering more than once on his way to work what kind of message he would get today. And so, his disappointment was palpable when, instead of the by now familiar face of Bucky, a blond giant could be found behind the coffee machine.

“A wonderful morning, my friend!” The man boomed when Sam stepped into the shop. “What can I get you to make this morning even better?”

Before Sam had a chance to recite his usual order, Pietro was next to the man, giving him only a number. Which apparently was enough, cause the man gave first Pietro, then Sam another blinding smile and got to work on the order.

“That’s Thor, our latest recruit,” Wanda told Sam while filling up the sweets display. “Oh, and Bucky has taken a personal day today.” She somewhat got somber. “He always does on this day, ever since he started here three years ago.”

“Huh? That’s a bit unusual, don’t you think?” Sam queried.

“No, not at all, since I know the reason behind it. But it’s not my place to gossip about something so personal with customers.” She rang up the order for the bald guy in front of Sam. “Besides, I wouldn’t betray my friends in such a way.”

In no time, Sam also had his order complete and was on his way to the office, but somehow, Wanda’s words and the way she told him about it left him thinking. Maybe there really was more to the guy than being a mean barista.

*********************

The following Monday, Sam entered the shop with the firm intention to be a bit friendlier to Bucky, but the man in question barely said a word, not even to the twins, which left Sam more than a bit puzzled. Apparently, something big had happened since Thursday.

“He’s okay?” Sam asked Pietro while paying.

“Yeah, more or less, he just has to work it through in his mind. Maria has offered him to take some time off, but he declined, stating that he needs the semi-regularity to keep him from going crazy.”

For a moment, Sam didn’t know what to say, but then he got an idea and he fished a business card out of the back of his wallet, handing it over to Pietro.

“I’m there every Tuesday and Thursday evening, but there are more good guys who might be able to help him.”

“But that’s the VA,” Pietro began.

“Two tours to Iraq, one to Afghanistan, before Uncle Sam had taken enough off of me and told me I’m done with the Army.”

“And why do you think that Bucky needs the help of the VA?”

“The way he keeps himself. I really can’t explain it, Pietro, but you have to trust me that a soldier knows another one when he sees him.”

And with that, Sam was out of the shop, coffee cup in hand.

*********************

To say that Sam was surprised to see Bucky at the group talk the next day would be quite an understatement, but somehow, Sam felt proud about it. Even more so, when Bucky hung back after the session, waiting until most of the others had filed out.

“Hey, Sam,” he began, and surprisingly, all the bravado Bucky had displayed both in his messages and in their personal interaction at the shop was gone completely.

“Hey, Bucky, nice to have you here. Thanks for coming.”

“Yeah, though you should have seen and heard the twins.” A small smile spread on Bucky’s face. “Wanda more or less threatened to cut me off of her kosher sweets if I don’t take this opportunity to get some help.”  
“Now that’s just harsh, man,” Sam threw in, good-natured, which elicited a shrug and another soft smile from Bucky. “And… I know, it’s not exactly my place to ask, but can you talk about what happened the other day?”

“When do you mean?” Bucky asked, a frown on his forehead as he tried to remember.

“You took a personal day on Friday, and yesterday, you visibly were shaken up by something that must have happened recently,” Sam explained, hoping and praying that he wouldn’t burn down this new bridge between them.

“Ah, that.” Bucky sat down in one of the chairs. “One of the men in my unit back in Iraq, Monty, was killed that day, two days before we were scheduled to go home.” He heaved a sigh. “Died saving my sorry ass, and even ten years later, I can’t look his family in the eye.” He looked up at Sam, his blue-grey eyes shimmering with tears. “Still feel that I should have saved him somehow. After all, I was the CO of the unit as a Sergeant.”

“Hey, none of that is your fault,” Sam threw in while sitting down next to Bucky. “I’ve been there myself, and damn it, but there wasn’t a single day in both of tours over there where I didn’t have to be on constant alert. Either it was a mine-infested batch of land, or possible snipers everywhere, or suicide bombers.”

“Yeah, in our case, it was a mine in the road, taking out our whole convoy. None of my unit left that place unscathed, but only Monty passed away.” Another deep sigh. “Believe me, I had quite some moments in the past decade where I thought ʻWhy did it have to him, and not me?ʼ He was engaged back then, already had the sweetest little daughter you could imagine, and I can’t help but think that he threw that all away, just to save a Sergeant who did a whack job on every account.”

Sam didn’t say anything, he knew from own experiences that even those dark thoughts needed to be said out loud at some point, otherwise you couldn’t move on.

“And top off my sour mood, because why not, I get a call on Monday, right before I started work, that I’m unfit for becoming a part of medical trial for a new generation of prosthetics.”

“You have a prosthetic?” Sam exclaimed. “Sorry, that got out a bit too harsh, and I should have expected it somehow. Most of the guys and gals coming here have one.”

“Don’t sweat it, Sam,” Bucky assured him while shrugging his left side out of the knit cardigan he was wearing, revealing an almost complete metal arm.

“Wow,” was all Sam got out for the moment. The arm was, for the lack of a better word, like a leftover prop from one of the Terminator movies, and looked extremely strange in comparison to the rest of Bucky’s body. And if the red, inflamed skin peeking out from the wide collar of his shirt was anything to count for, it also must hurt a lot.

*********************

From that day on, Bucky became a regular at the meetings, always hanging back in the room and chatting with Sam afterwards. He told him about his younger sister Becca, a thriving political journalist currently working for the Times in their London office, how his parents got more and more distant to him ever since he came back missing an arm; his struggles with daily life, and pretty everything else between. In retaliation, Sam had a talk to Steve about Bucky’s problem, and in no time, the barista had an appointment with Steve’s husband, none else than Tony Stark. Who, according to Bucky, came up with a gazillion ideas for a better prosthetic within 10 minutes into the meeting. It still would take time, but in the end, Bucky would have a revolutionary prosthetic that not only would make life easier, but also wouldn’t need to be covered up all the time.

All this time, Bucky more or less leaned on Sam for support, and despite their rocky beginning, Sam was more than willing to give it. He also brought Matt Murdock on board, a blind lawyer from Hell’s Kitchen, who would give the responsible officials down in Washington more than just a piece of mind. Maybe they would even get a change for all former service members relying on a prosthetic along, with Stark Industries on board as well.

Both sets of colleagues were more than supporting them, in every way. When Sam and Steve were out of town for some days due to a conference, Clint and the twins took turns to spend some time with Bucky; the same happened when Bucky finally got his new arm and was ordered by Tony to take it easy. Clint even brought Lucky, his golden retriever, around to keep Bucky company during the day while he was recovering, which somehow did wonders to the man’s overall psyche.

And somehow, that friendship blossomed even into something more. At first, it was just Sam giving Bucky’s left shoulder a massage or just a hug when the man needed it, but ever so slowly, the touches got more and bolder, venturing in areas both men hadn’t been touched by another person for quite some time.

Five months after Sam got handed the first cup with a message (which Bucky later clarified as his way of flirting), they shared their first kiss, and a few weeks later, they had sex for the first time, spending almost all night in learning the other man’s body in every little detail. Sam paid quite a lot of attention to Bucky’s left shoulder, peppering the area with featherlight kisses that had the other man blushing a deep shade of crimson.

Now, Sam was sitting against the headrest of their shared bed, looking down at the sleeping man beside him with a fond expression. Ever since Bucky moved in with him, both men suffered less nightmares, and if they did once in a while, the other was there, supporting them, having their back, shielding them to give them time to work through the haze.

Closing the book he was trying to read, Sam finally called it a night, laying down so he was facing Bucky, marveling over how the moonlight coming in through the blinds turned his lover’s visage into a silvery, ethereal painting.

*********************

The End

*********************

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [One Black Coffee](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24216430) by [kiss_me_cassie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kiss_me_cassie/pseuds/kiss_me_cassie)


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